Avian adoration
by chloemcg
Summary: On Athena's day off, prosecutor Simon Blackquill comes to her in hopes that she could assist him in finding a missing Taka. Can the Attorney and prosector find out where the rogue hawk had gone or will they make some shocking discoveries about the faithful birds life?
1. Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any characters from Ace Attorney series.**

 **Avian adoration**

* * *

It was an early morning in the city of Japanifornia.

The skies were a beautiful blend of peachy orange, reddish pink, and golden yellow whilst the sun had begun to rise in the sky, gradually raising behind several tall buildings and skyscrapers that towered up high and cast a faint orange light over the city in spite of the fact that there was a bunch of thin, gray clusters of cumulus that was like a veil covering the ground.

It was a fog reached the corners of the city and stretched throughout the roads and streets as well as the apartments and homes of the citizens, the early-morning dampness hung in the air like a piece of thread someone was holding up to taunt someone else. The twittering of several bird species resonated perfectly with the morning atmosphere as our story begins on a small street that was quite peaceful and had been forgotten about the street life. There was a certain little house that was inhabited by young woman and the building not so far away from the humble but growing-in-fame "Wright anything agency" and it was the home of a certain yellow-wearing attorney.

The bungalow looked quite quaint on the outside with orange/red brickwork and it was tall in structure with a small square-shaped rooftop that was layered with light gray tiles. There were two windows (as what could be expected to fit on such a small house) and there was a little red door.

While the outside of the house belonging to Athena Cykes was as quiet as a mouse, the inside was anything but as deafeningly loud snores filled the inside of the small house —so loud that any hope of silence would have been shattered as the sounds reverberated around the bedroom.

The rooms were dark and the curtains had been shut, blocking out the faint sunlight that tried desperately to break through. The wallpaper was (unsurprisingly) yellow in colour and was peeling slightly due to how old the house was and had a pretty floral pattern that seemed both generic and retro-themed at once. The floor was a soft creamy colour as clothes and items were strewn across it. There were also some common bedroom items such as a bed, a wardrobe, some cupboards, a bedside table that contained an alarm clock as well as a lamp and even some wall decorations and, on her bedside table, lay both her prized possessions —Widget and her moon rock earring —the only things she had left to remember her late mother...

Athena lay unconscious on the bed, passed out from severe exhaustion.

Her ginger hair was spread all over the pillow as her form was sprawled upon the mattress whilst the woman snoozed; Athena was laying on her stomach with her arms wrapped around her pillow and her leaning into it with her left cheek. Her eyes were clamped shut and she mumbled softly in her sleep, nuzzling the plumped yet luxurious lump of material that she rested her head upon. The blankets had partially covered her waist and were dangling off the mattress in an attempt to fall to the floor.

"Mmmmm..." She heaved a soft sigh, rolling off of her stomach to lay on her right side.

It had only been three years since she had become part of the Wright anything agency and, therefor, had become a fledgling lawyer. She proved to be a very dedicated and plucky attorney who continued to use her special ability of hearing the truest emotions in people's hearts as the greatest weapon she could but she had been doing a boatload of defending lately due to the fact that she had to take over a lot after her work-partner and colleague, Apollo Justice, had left to try and fix the law system back in Khura'in.

It left her so tired and she had been doing so much work that she would practically point her finger and shout "objection" in her sleep.

She couldn't lie.

Her job could be stressful, but she wouldn't change it for anything.

 **Knock, knock, knock!**

The sound of the front door knocking abruptly brought Athena out of her blessed slumber. Her eyelids felt like weights as she tried to open her eyes and her body felt as though it had been made of lead and her tongue felt floppy and heavy in her mouth, she couldn't help but let out some words of intelligible nonsense that could also be interpreted as a low growl.

Her blankets had become entangled around her body and made it so she could barely move just after awakening and she couldn't help but grumble irritably.

When she dared to cast the slightest glance at her bedside alarm clock, she noticed that the clock read 6:30 and subdued rage clouded her mind as Athena's eyes narrowed into slits as she glared even deeper at the piece of machinery. Never before had she wanted to throw a clock out of the window so badly, she hated it when she had to wake up in the morning; true she normally revitalised herself by going on morning jogs, but that didn't mean that she couldn't dislike it.

Her glare was so deep and dark that it could possibly put Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth's constant glare to shame.

The young lawyer moaned deeply as she opened her mouth and blew out some of her frustration and lay back down in her bed, pulling the blankets over herself and tried to return to her peaceful slumber once more. She shut her eyes as she snuggled deeper into her blankets and she felt as though she were cocooned in such warmth that made the slightest hint of a contented smile flicker across her lips.

She hadn't felt such peace in ages.

She wasn't going to let her morning mood get the best of her especially since the Wright Anything Agency had been slightly understaffed lately so she had been pouring her heart and soul into her work so she doubted that she would get another day off for quite sometime. She had a whole day off and she was going to get as much rest as she possibly could; she wasn't going to let _anything_ ruin this day for her.

However, fate had other plans.

 **KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!**

The knocking on the door became much louder and more forceful, the fist pounding hard against the door so hard that it was very much possible that the door could have come off its hinges.

It was a sound that could almost shake the house.

The plucky 19-year-old lawyer felt her heart leap high into her throat as panic set in. She sat up in alarm as her eyes snapped open as she found the knocking on her door much harder to ignore, she blinked her eyes hurriedly to try and awaken herself and to rid herself of fatigue. Thoughts of who could be banging so harshly on her door swirled in her mind in an endless loop; Could they have been a burglar trying to force their way in? Was it the police? Could it be Trucy trying to badger her into being her assistant/magicians prop? Maybe it was even a neighbour choosing a bad time to return something she'd lent.

But who could that be beating up her door so early in the morning?!

She was in a daze as she thrown the blankets off of herself and half-tumbled out of bed whilst she tried to make a break for the front door —she forgot something, though:

The blankets were still wrapped around her legs.

The second Athena made an attempt to leap to her feet, she quickly found herself tumbling forwards and hitting the ground face-first. She groaned painfully as she lay on the floor for several moments to try and regain her bearings whilst she let her gaze flicker from the door to her tied-up legs as she suddenly wore a scowl that highly resembled the expression one would wear if they were to eat the worlds most bitter-tasting lemon. She started grumbling unintelligibly as she tiredly made work of untangling her legs and used the palms of her hands to try and push herself into a sitting position on the floor.

The blanket took a moment to unfurl before she was properly on her feet.

It took a moment or so until she dragged herself into a standing position and she tipped back and fourth on her heels for a few moments as she fought against the fatigue plaguing her until she finally shook it off and didn't even bother stretching or anything. She tried to stifle a yawn as she forced her legs to start moving and proceeded to hurriedly lumber to the front door. She was unbalanced and she had almost tripped over her own bare feet numerous times as she tried her best to answer the door as quick as possible, she didn't even have the sense to grab a weapon encase this did turn out to be a burglar or something.

The bedraggled Athena was so tired that she could hardly keep her eyes open, her long ginger hair stretched all the way down to the ground and dragged a little behind her as she trudged straight towards the door —the knocks (or more like forceful bangs) became increasingly loud and desperate. Exasperation leaked from her very being as she hastened her steps a bit when the urgency behind the knocking finally registered within her mind.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming! _E_ _spera un minuto_ ¡"

The attorney-at-law lurched forwards, seized hold of the doorknob and opened the door a smidge; the second she did she felt a blast of cool morning air that felt rather refreshing on her skin. She adored the natural scent of crisp leaves and condensation

Who she saw standing on the front step of the bungalow made her heart skip a beat as shock overrode most of the exhaustion clouding her mind.

Simon Blackquill stood there with the most impatient scowl ever. He had his arms folded across his chest in a somewhat huffy manner and if looks could kill, then Athena had a feeling she would have combusted on the spot. But that was not what caught the redhead's attention most —it was that the samurai prosecutor looked almost, if not _more_ , tired than she did herself.

"Simon?" Athena asked, her voice still hoarse due to fatigue but there was a hint of surprise behind her words. "What're you doing here?"

She hadn't been expecting this since Simon rarely came to visit her in her house. Sure, he came to visit on the odd occasion but he normally gave her some advanced warning when he was going to come over. It was a warning issued by prosecutor Blackquill's pet hawk, Taka, flying up to her window with a letter clutched in his sharply curved beak but it was _still_ some sort of warning that one of her dearest friends was coming over to see her.

She secretly wished that it could have been later in the day, though.

Simon kept a somewhat stoic stature as he glared silently at her but Athena could hear the discord in his heart; seriously, it was so loud that if she were to be stood amongst a chatty audience at an ear-bleedingly loud rock and roll concert then she would have heard it even then. Plus she could easily pick up some of the distress in his voice, this made it crystal clear that something was up.

The samurai prosecutor took a long moment or so before he started to speak.

"I need your help, Athena..."

Athena blinked as much sleepiness out of her eyes as possible, clearing her vision, and she stared at her mother's ex-student with an expression akin to somebody being confronted with seeing a random spectre show up on her doorstep. Her mind was abuzz with a billion questions, even though a few of them mainly consisted in her complaints about why he was doing this so early in the morning. However she was also surprised since Simon Blackquill NEVER asked for help in any way, shape or form, thus she knew that she had no choice but to listen after hearing that shocking admission.

"What's the matter?" She asked, forcing herself to fully awaken right then and there.

Simon didn't even hesitate and proceeded to explain his situation, "It's Taka. He has gone missing and I do not know where he has gone."

Athena felt her heart freeze within her chest when she heard those words leave the prosecutor's lips.

So that's why Simon's heart was crying out with fear and desperation; the twisted samurai had Taka as his companion since he had found him as a tiny chick in his prison cell and the two had such a bond that it could melt the hearts of men with hearts made entirely of stone...actually, some could even say that it was Simon and Taka's bond that inspired the former's soft-spot for anything covered in feathers with a beak. To put it bluntly, Simon may be horrible when it came to expressing himself emotionally but without Taka his emotions were bare and naked to the world...

"Oh no! I guess that explains why I heard your heart screaming in despair just now..."

Blackquill just nodded rather numbly, not seeming too surprised to hear this. He knew Athena's special sense of hearing better then anyone and he supposed he shouldn't have been too surprised that she could hear the fact that he was seriously concerned about his bosom buzzard.

"But wait. Are you sure he's not gonna come back? Maybe he got held up or something?" The young lady inquired.

Simon bowed and shook his head.

"As of late he has been flying off for long periods of time. He had taken his normal daily flight in the early hours of this morning and has not returned."

Athena put on a thoughtful face and contemplated her next move for a moment. She still felt tired and wanted to go back to her bed desperately, but she didn't wish to abandon a friend in need like this. Simon Blackquill was an honourable man (despite him being _really_ annoying when he used his clever psychological manipulation to toy with the emotions of witnesses in court) and would lay down his life for the people close to him, heck, he even almost _died_ to keep Athena herself safe from having to deal with the crime of what happened to her own mother.

How could she possibly leave Simon to deal with this alone?

What sort of friend would she be?

Sure it was her day off but she couldn't let her friend deal with this all on his own. She could almost hear the click in her brain when she made her decision. That settled it! A huge smirk spread across her face and her eyes brightened up within an instant as she smiled a warm smile at the twisted samurai. She held her left arm out in front of her and gave him a thumbs up in hopes to give him a sliver of reassurance and gave a determined nod of the head.

"Okay! I'll help you."

Simon appeared to have been dumbstruck to hear this and looked into the eyes of Athena in mild surprise.

"A-Are you certain?"

Athena nodded, her normal enthusiasm coming to life.

"Sure! Just let me go inside and get dressed and then I'll help you find him!"

Prosecutor Blackquill didn't say anything but the smile of appreciation he gave and the eardrum-piercing screeching of the gratitude in his heart spoke volumes in which no word could ever even begin to convey. Athena could read him like an open book right now and seeing him like this just made her more determined to help him sort out this conundrum so he could resume his normal grumpy nature.

Athena narrowed her eyes resolutely then retreated back inside her bungalow where she got herself dressed and she came back out wearing her casual yellow outfit minutes later.

Widget was hung securely around her neck and her moon earring dangled from her ear. She also made sure to wear a matching yellow trench coat to keep herself warm from the numbing, biting, frigid cold that the morning brought whilst she also brought along her satchel in order to store some important items such as her notebook and other stuff. She thought that she could definitely use it during this mission.

The attorney and prosecutor friends both silently acknowledged each other as they thought about their next move. A short silence brewed between them both as they took a moment to gather their thoughts until Athena shattered it and asked, glancing up skywards in deep contemplation.

"Where should we start looking? because from what I recall, hawks can _fly_ so..."

Simon's frown deepened.

That was a good point.

Since the hawk was had free reign of the skies and could be anywhere by now it could be a bit more of a challenge to track him down and he knew that he couldn't get Taka to return to him by whistling for him because it was more than likely that he was out of hearing range anyway, and there was the additional fact that he'd tried whistling for the runaway hawk already countless times.

"Hmmm..." Simon closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, "Perhaps he might be at the courtroom number 3? Please recall that first trial of the Nine tails case when both you and Justice-dono met my feathered friend."

Athena didn't quite recall at first since it had been awhile ago and she was still tired from being awoken much earlier than she was used to. She absentmindedly fiddled with Widget, tapping the little round gizmo that made the device up and hung around her neck, as she rewound her memories all the way to her very first trial. It took a few agonising moments before her sapphire blue eyes lit up like bright lights in pitch black darkness.

"Oh yeah!" She exclaimed, "You said Taka liked the courtroom so much that he made it his new home."

"Indeed," Simon nodded and poked at his own forehead for emphasis, "I suggest we search there first and foremost."

"Right! To the courtroom!" She exclaimed, her smile broadened to the point where her grin as brighter then the currently-concealed sunlight.

She lifted her arm up high as she pointed up towards the clouded skies above. She stood straight and seemed to be making the moment purposefully more dramatic then it needed to be and then the lawyer in yellow took off like a dart down the path without much warning whatsoever. She skedaddled so fast that she basically left a trail of dust behind her, leaving prosecutor behind where the two were previously standing.

The twisted samurai didn't expect Athena to be so full of energy even though she looked so tired a minute or so ago. He wondered where she could have gotten such boundless energy, even though he couldn't lie because he secretly found it quite endearing. He couldn't help but smirk slightly at the thought of Athena acting so childish and he even chuckled rather humourlessly. He felt lucky to have her as a friend. He bowed his head, making it so the fringe of his long mane of black and white hair hung over his tired eyes, as he shoved his pale-as-sheet-white hands into the pockets of his long trenchcoat and started to follow her.

As he stalked along, Simon couldn't help but glance wearily down at the ground as he wondered what had happened to Taka and whether he was alright. He shook his head quickly since he knew that Taka was the strongest of hawks that he'd known and he was the most reliable bird of all time —he knew he needn't fret.

He knew that he couldn't keep his eager courtroom rival waiting especially since the longer he kept her waiting, the longer he would be delaying his reunion with Taka.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi, guys! I'm back and I recovered after a month of being in the hospital! I** **decided to make a friendship/sibling fic for Athena Cykes and Simon Blackquill and add some animal fluff in here too. Let's see if Athena and Blackquill can find Taka!**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Don't forget to review and fave!**

 **-Chloemcg**


	2. Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the Phoenix Wright, ace attorney franchise. The characters and everything else belongs to Capcom and no one else! ESPECIALLY NOT ME!**

 **Avian adoration**

* * *

It was 10:45 by the time that Athena and Simon made it to their destination.

Fuelled by determination to locate his feathery cohort, Simon ran right towards the city courthouse with Athena tailing behind him; it was all she could do to keep up with him as she ran after her friend. She couldn't believe this, she almost didn't dare to believe that this was real—Simon never exhibited any frantic emotion (except when he gets verbally struck down in the courtroom) and it was somewhat shocking to see the twisted samurai so worried over the safety of his trusted hawk, or anything for that matter.

It was quite a rush.

The silence of the newly-refurbished courtroom number 3 had been broken when the two burst in through the large double doors, the doors swung open the instant the latter barrelled through them. Athena and Simon hastened into the empty courtroom as they both scanned the area and dashed straight into the middle of it with their eyes wildly searching the area around them, each pair of breaths erratic as they felt adrenaline pumping through their veins.

Still there was no sign of the missing hawk.

Thankfully, the courtroom was empty for the minute so neither Athena nor Simon were at risk of being held in contempt of court or anything.

"Taka! Taka, are you in here!?" The twisted samurai called out, occasionally jabbing two fingers into his mouth and producing an ear-piercingly high pitched whistle.

Athena covered her sensitive ears to drown out both the loud whistling _and_ the terrible thumping of Simon's aching heart that was screeching with worry and discord for his feathered friend. She couldn't help but hate her special ability when things like this happen, it was a curse for her at a time like this to be able to hear both regular voices as well as the voices of people's hearts.

Both hands flew up to cover her ears as she grit her teeth to contain a low moan of discomfort.

The increasing concern building up inside of her friend/literal guardian's heart was torture enough on her poor ears but when it was coupled with high frequencies such as whistling it was tittering over the edge of unbearable, she was glad she was more mature because it would have been hell if she were a child due to the sensory overload —but, thankfully, she was able to handle it better.

Simon appeared to have finally noticed Athena's auditory discomfort.

"Oh. My apologies, is my whistling hurting your ears?" Blackquill cringed, "My sincerest apologies, Athena..."

Athena shook her head dizzily, her eyes spinning.

"N-No, it's okay, Prosecutor Blackquill..."

When the young red-haired girl regained her bearings and let herself settle on her feet, it took a minute or so. Thankfully her dazed state was quick to fade away and the screaming of the discord in Blackquill's heart started to dull a bit. She didn't want Simon to feel bad or anything and she knew that she needed to suck it up and stay focused on the task at hand so she continued to look around for any signs of the bandana-wearing hawk. She couldn't help but frown when she couldn't see any sort of clue to the missing bird of prey, let alone his whereabouts.

It made her stomach clench with both worry and upset when she quickly realised that she couldn't see Taka anywhere. Her gaze drifted over to prosecutor Blackquill and she felt her stomach clench even harder when she saw the look of disappointment written plain across Simon's ghostly pale face.

She decided to state the obvious as she sauntered up to Simon and placed a hand atop his shoulder.

"I don't think Taka's here..."

Simon Blackquill's shoulder flinched beneath Athena's hand and caused her to jerk her arm back in shock and surprise.

The prosecutor heaved a deep breath from the very bottom of his lungs. It was obvious that he was disappointed that his feathered friend had not been in the court, where he had really hoped he would be —just waiting for him to find him and sleeping in his nest in the court gallery with his yellow eyes would be piercing through darkness of the shadows with his black and white striped bandanna fluttering in the breeze.

It was disheartening.

The twisted samurai closed his eyes and felt his pulse stir as he felt determination spark inside of him. He wasn't going to give up on his search for his friend, Taka was always by his side and he wasn't about to give up searching for him. He'd search the ends of the earth for his bosom buzzard, after all. He reopened his eyes turned to face Athena with naught but determination flashing in his obsidian irises.

Athena seemed shocked when her friend turned to face her with such seriousness on his face.

A moment of silence passed the two by.

That was until prosecutor Blackquill turned on his heel, his coat swishing and then billowing in the wind, and he started to walk off towards the exit of the empty courtroom. There was an air of reignited hope in the air that Athena sensed easily as she heard him speak sharply yet snappily to her.

"Come. Let us continue our search."

Athena took off sprinting off after Simon after he said that and proceeded to follow him.

It was after leaving the courtroom that the attorney in yellow and the twisted samurai prosecutor had tried searching for the hawk in other areas of the town.

Japanifornia was vast and Taka could have flown anywhere but Simon knew the flyaways hotspots better then anybody and the two ventured to every place —Athena and prosecutor Blackquill searched relentlessly all over the town to search for the hawk. They went to the local menagerie, searched around the outside of Japanifornia prison, they searched the skies around the Wright anything agency as well as the Prosecutors office encase he decided to go to those places and they even journeyed to some places where some rats and mice were commonly found in the city.

But Taka was nowhere to be found anywhere...

It was later in the afternoon, a couple of hours later, by the time that Athena and Simon Blackquill had started to grow weary of the search.

The younger attorney dressed yellow's shoulders sunk slow and she had a tired, droopy-eyed look on her face as her mouth formed into a frown so big that it could have become the main feature on her face, even her bright ginger hair had become frizzy and hung down limply from her scalp as she lumbered along behind Simon. She had found her legs felt heavy and she could hardly keep walking like this for much longer.

"Huuuuuh, huuuuh, auuuugh..." Athena groaned, "...How much...ngggh...longer?"

Simon didn't show any signs of tiring or faltering from his desire to find Taka, he kept himself upright and didn't appear even the slightest bit fatigued. He just kept right on walking as he was a few steps ahead of the stumbling younger adult and he had a persistent scowl on his pale face and his darkened eyes were narrowed determinedly.

"Until we find Taka." He snipped.

Athena moaned in response.

She understood Simon's blazing love for his hawk but even she was getting tired of walking all day and with absolutely no sign of the hawk. Her heart squeezed hard inside her chest and her breaths came out as sharp wheezes as she huffed and puffed, sounding like a train as she stumbled along behind her friend. Her legs slatted to feel numb and due to her being so tired and she started to become annoyed.

She really hoped they'd find Taka soon...!

The silence between the two was broken when the phone started to ring.

The two stopped dead in their tracks as Simon glanced at the lawyer in yellow in confusion.

Clearly that was _her_ phone ringing but why? It was her day off so she had no work and, unless he was mistaken, she had no other friends aside from the people at her workplace and her childhood friend Juniper Woods along with himself and she didn't indicate that she had any plans when he met up with her earlier...unless she forgot or something.

Athena seemed to try and straighten herself out as she wiped the sweat off of her brow with the back of her hand and she sighed to recompose herself. She was still exhausted and she had her bright ginger hair sticking like glue to her sweaty forehead, her eyes had huge bags sagging beneath her cerulean blue eyes. She huffed and puffed hard as she tried to re-inflate her lungs but she managed to cool herself down enough to regain some of her energy and used one of her arms, which flopped about like a noodle when she tried to move it, and tried to get herself used to moving herself.

Her phone rang all the while.

It took a mere minute for Athena to regain the sensation in her arms and she grabbed the phone out of her pocket and looked down at the screen to see who it was calling her, the name made her eyes widen into saucers but she quickly got over it and pressed a few buttons followed by pressing the phone right up to her ear.

Why was this person calling her...?

"Sasha? Hey, it's been awhile! What's up?"

The voice on the other end spoke, a rather confused tone leaking into her voice.

"Err...Athena, could you please come to the Shipshape aquarium when you get a minute?"

Athena sighed.

"I'm a little busy right now, Sasha."

The voice belonged to Sasha Buckler, she was an Orca trainer at the local aquarium. She had met the young woman during a case when Orla the killer whale had been accused of murdering the aquarium's owner, "Captain" Jack Shipley, and then even _she_ ended up being accused eventually but she was off the hook eventually. She was quite the character and very energetic, especially after she was cured of her heart condition.

Simon Blackquill glared at Athena from in front of her, arms crossed in a huff. His face was tighter then a corkscrew and his atmosphere was growing broodier...whatever this was could wait until Taka was found, surely...

Athena closed her eyes and tried not to show how tired she was; she figured that she could hear Sasha out though, who knows? It could be very helpful to calm the situation or something. She decided to ask about what Sasha about what she wanted.

"But I think I can spare a minute or two..."

Athena cringed when she could practically _feel_ Simon's demonic scowl fall upon her, burning holes into the back of her and she could feel her insides grow as cold as ice as the atmosphere became tense. She may not have seen Simon's face but she had a feeling that he was glaring evilly right at her.

"Okay. Athena, please be sure to bring your creepy samurai friend with you."

The red haired lawyer in yellow frowned when she heard that. Did she mean Prosecutor Blackquill? Her mind turned with confusion and her face twisted with even more confusion; what could she have meant by that? She decided to ask her friend about this.

"Why?"

Sasha's voice replied, "I think I found something that belongs to you. Something small and feathery."

That was when she hung up.

Simon questioned aloud "What would my feathered friend be doing at Shipshape aquarium?"

* * *

 **A/N: Heres the second chapter for Avian adoration.**

 **I hope you enjoy it, everyone, and merry christmas!**

 **Don't forget to review and fave!**

 **-Chloemcg**


	3. Part 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the Phoenix Wright, ace attorney franchise. The characters and everything else belongs to Capcom and no one else! ESPECIALLY NOT ME!**

 **Avian adoration**

* * *

Questions whirled around in an endless loop within Simon Blackquill's clever (yet rather twisted) mind as both himself and Athena made their way straight over to the Shipshape aquarium.

He couldn't believe that Taka had gone to Shipshape aquarium, why would he be there? As far as he knew, Taka had no interest in that silly place! He kept his mind on what he could have missed or if he could think of a good reason for the hawk's sudden interest in the pirate themed place. He shoved both hands into his pockets as he hastened in his steps, hoping to get to the Shipshape aquarium as soon as possible.

Thankfully didn't take long until the attorneys-at-law found themselves standing right outside of the building.

Simon felt hesitant to go inside yet he didn't know why. He simply had this nagging feeling tugging at his intestines that he wasn't going to like what he found. The pirate-themed building with the cute image of a pirate hat-wearing killer whale with a painted star covering its eye brought naught but inward shivers for the prosecutor as he swallowed a huge marble-like lump that had formed in his throat. Dread gripped his soul in some sort of vice as he started to dwell on what was probably about to happen next.

A billion thoughts whirled around and around like a violent cyclone.

What would he discover should he venture fourth inside?

What would Taka's physical and mental state be like?

Was this where the hawk had been vanishing all this time?

Would his best bosom buzzard even want to return with him?

That was when he shook his head.

No, he couldn't let this pathetic fear take over...he had to face this, he had to get Taka back!

Athena smirked as she placed her hands on her hips, sapphire blue eyes glinting like knives as she appeared to just have this confident aura around her. She wore a huge smile upon her face and she even had the most positive stance one could even imagine —she didn't even show a single, solitary sign of being exhausted like she had a mere fifteen minutes ago.

The lawyer dressed in yellow was the absolute epitome of conviction!

"This is it, Prosecutor Blackquill! Time to find the truth behind Taka's constant vanishing acts!"

It didn't take very long at all until she had noticed her friend's reluctance and she stared at him with bewilderment, nor did it take too long before a knowing smile spread across her face. She could read Prosecutor Blackquill's face (or heart, to be more accurate) like a book. She could hear the worry inside his heart and the reason why was as clear as crystal. She rolled her eyes since she should have expected this. She had decided to go over to him whilst not saying a single word and grabbed him by the shoulder.

This was an action that jerked him back into reality.

Simon flinched beneath the teen's touch, a dumbstruck expression flashing across his face at the speed of light as his spine stiffened like stone and his body straightened as he felt as though a bolt of lightning was being jounced through his body in that split second. His shoulders raised and his head ducked between them both. It was five seconds when he finally shook his head to try and snap himself out of his shellshocked state but his hand, mostly unbeknownst to him, then looked down and noticed that the daughter of his old mentor had tightly clasped his hand in hers. He felt his heart sink like a stone in water and then started to drag him along behind her as she strode straight towards the building without a hint of reluctance or fear or anything of the sort.

He could hear as the soles of his own two feet dragged along the cobblestone beneath his feet, the noise grated on his eardrums.

Soon the two arrived at the front reception desk which was a quaint little place that was a cool yet aquamarine blue colouration. The faint aroma of chlorine hung in the air. There was a lovely wavy trim on the walls and the ceiling and the freshly-polished wooden floors were a hue that matched the stunning view of a Aurora Borealis. The front desk had more of a pirates treasure chest design more then anything and the furniture had a contributing factor towards that very same theme.

It was also where Sasha Buckler had been eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Before spotting the two attorneys, the Orca trainer had taken to lounging about on the nearest sofa with a magazine grasped in her hands as she read the many different articles; she had a patient expression written plainly across her face as she appeared to be engrossed in the aquamarine biology gossip.

Athena's expression lit up the instant her eyes settled upon Sasha and she beamed.

"Sasha!"

Upon hearing her own name, the pirate outfit-clad woman removed her gaze from the paragraph she was reading. At first she didn't seem to know why her name was being called and even had worn a confused yet perplexed expression but that same look on her face had quickly melted away and was swiftly replaced with a gleeful, wide-eyed look as she tossed the magazine aside and leapt to her feet.

"Hey, Athena!" She chirped merrily, instantly walking up towards her good friend and embraced in a friendly hug.

"You look great and I heard that your heart surgery was successful!"

"You _minow_ it!"

Simon just stood idly in the background as he watched the exchange rather awkwardly for what felt like an eternity. He couldn't deny that the scene unfolding before him was heart-warming but he was just anxious to find his feathery friend. He just wanted to go and find him and then, hopefully, uncover the reason for Taka's frequent disappearances to this pirate-themed sea life aquarium. He didn't wish to break up this touching reunion between friends but it was about time to get a move on.

He cleared his throat abruptly and it immediately broke Sasha and Athena out of their friendly hug and they instantly glared at the twisted samurai prosecutor with pure annoyance.

They clearly didn't appreciate being hurried along like this.

Without another word, the three started to make their way out of the reception area and straight towards the area where Sasha had last seen the bandana-wearing bird of prey.

As the red head dressed in yellow followed Sasha, she thought about the previous time that she had wound up in this aquarium. She could recall the case where Orla, the aquariums killer whale, had been accused of murder and it was the case where her boss, Phoenix Wright, had reclaimed his attorney badge and it was his first case back on the job. She also recalled how fun and filled with exuberance Orla was throughout the whole trial...except for when Sasha had become accused of murder in her place. Things got even more shocking when it wasn't only revealed that one of the staff members, known as Marlon Rimes, had tried to kill her due to a grudge he held against her but Orla also had a sister.

It was a hectic and complicated case but there was no denying how fun it was.

Athena smiled warmly at the memory of the recently-reunited orca sisters.

"How are Ora and Orla?"

Sasha smiled too as she replied to the question.

"Their doing great, thanks, those two get along like a shark and a pilot fish!"

"Can I _please_ see them later?"

"As sure as a starfish!"

Athena could not hold back a smile as she quickly grew excited to see Orla and Ora once more. She knew that the two were having their dentist check ups that same day so they were most likely not going to be up for visitors for a good while yet but she definitely hoped that she could see them after Blackquill reunited with Taka.

She could hardly wait.

The three continued their travel as they walked through the Pub o'danger, then traversed through the over-stacked gift shop, made their way through aqua tunnel, strolled by the several enclosures which the marine life had inhabited, passed through the staff corridor, then they bypassed the currently-inactive orca pool and, eventually, they finally reached their original location:

The back stage show.

Sasha didn't take long at all to (literally) point out the runaway hawk.

"He's up there."

To emphasis her point, the orca trainer used an outstretched arm to point at the hawk whom was perched on the mast of the very top of the ship stage, way high up. At first it appeared that Taka was basking in the warmth of the sunlight that beamed down from above as the sun shone high in the cloudless, cerulean blue afternoon skies. The hawk was carrying a fish in his beak.

The breeze was gentle as Taka's feathers bristled and blew in the soft slivers of wind —as Simon eyed Taka, he couldn't help but feel his heart expand with pure relief; he had been worried out of his mind and was glad to see that his dear friend was alright and unharmed...but, as he tried to put his fingers inside his mouth to whistle and grab the hawk's attention, he very quickly realised that there was something off.

Or, rather, there was something strange about the way the hawk carried himself.

Simon had to wonder about this.

What was going on?

The group watched as Taka suddenly swooped down and perched himself right in front of Rifle, then he leaned forwards and proceeded to nuzzle her affectionately. The hawk's eyelids slid itself shut sideways as he leaned closer to rub the top of his feathery head against Rifle's thin, downy one whilst he made soft crooning purrs of a sound that was actually quite soothing.

His hawky feathered tail feathers waggled from side-to-side in a similar manner to a dog's tail.

Rifle and Taka leaned towards each other and chirped lovingly to each other.

Athena felt really strange about having to witness this.

So this was why Taka had vanished so frequently? Because he had found a love life...?

She actually had guessed that the aggressive hawk had found a female but she never guessed that it was actually a different species! She could actually hear the near-deafening love that Taka had for the snippy and rather bossy little blue penguin and, while it did make her feel conflicted about whether to find this utterly adorable or really strange and bizarre, she also couldn't help but notice that her little digital necklace partner, Widget, had started to glow a bright yellow colour.

Widget cried out, blurting out in a squeaky voice of horrified shock, "A hawk and a penguin!? What will the children look like!"

Athena instinctively covered the computerised mouth of her digital necklace companion with her face flushing bright red with naught but embarrassment. She hated it when Widget blurted out her thoughts at the most inappropriate of times, especially because it tended to ruin lovely moments just like the little device did now.

"W-Widget, sh-sh-shut up!" She cried.

Oblivious to the presence of the group of three gawking at them, Taka and Rifle were still being super cuddly and sweet together in the meantime and, to be perfectly honest, it was getting even sweeter.

Taka still had a fish in his beak and he leaned forwards in a gesture that made his intentions blatantly obvious. He was planning on giving her the fish. As he leaned forwards and craned his head in a soft bow, Rifle chirped as she gripped the fish by using her own beak and then proceeded to throw her head back and open her beak wide so the fish could slide down her throat easier, making it easier for her to devour the meal offered to her by the bird of prey.

Even though it was _really_ strange, Athena's opinion about seeing the two birds together changed quickly and she couldn't help but feel her heart melt into a puddle of goo.

Athena and Sasha squeed in unison as they observed the adorable moment, "Awwww..."

Simon just watched on in sheer disbelief.

The blanching twisted samurai was watching with wide eyes, fighting back the overwhelming urge to throw up as some sort of acidic burning was bubbling arisen in his throat and his mouth was tight as he was basically quivering in his shoes. His hands were whiter then normal and shaking like a maraca and his eyes were intensifying as he fought desperately to keep himself conscious.

He couldn't believe that his pet and companion had found true love...

He never thought he'd see the day.

"This must be some kind of jest..." The samurai prosecutor mumbled numbly.

But no, it wasn't a joke:

Taka had fallen in love.

Simon had known Taka since he was a chick and he never expected this day to come...and he never expected him to date any bird outside of his own species! Taka never did seem interested in love but it seemed that springtime had arrived early for him and he had always liked proving his two-legged former prison inmate partner wrong, ever since it had been predicated that Taka would never fly on his own and he flew anyway, it had been like that! He almost felt emotional that the chick he had found in his jailhouse had grown up so suddenly.

It didn't take long until Sasha had asked the question that everyone was secretly dying to know.

"...How does a hawk and a penguin become mates anyway?"

Her question was met by several shrugs.

Athena then decided to ask, teasingly, "And when's the egg coming?"

That remark was met with a shuriken ninja star flying passed her, narrowly missing her neck and throat. She paled as her eyes followed the sharp object that wound up stuck in the nearest wall and she swallowed hard as she quickly looked at Simon whom scowled darkly at her with a look that dared her to try joking about that again.

It was her turn to scowl as she stuck out her tongue in silent retaliation.

 _"Not cool, Simon!"_

Simon refocused his attention when he heard a familiar sound of chirping and surprisingly gentle and quiet screeching and all eyes fell on the newly-discovered avian couple. It was obvious Taka and Rifle were infatuated with each other and, admittedly, seeing them together warmed everyone's heart to the point where it melted into a huge puddle.

It was at that moment when Taka had seemed to finally notice Blackquill's presence and had given Rifle gave each other one last heart-warming snuggle before he took to the air and flew straight over to Prosecutor Blackquill.

The hawk perched right on top of his shoulder and then Taka purred happily as he leaned in rubbed his head against the left side of Simon's neck with pure affection. Simon, in response, couldn't help but smile fondly as he scratched the hawk's head with one of his fingertips. The samurai prosecutor could not help but feel this sense of happiness that his best friend was back and, even more so, that he was safe and sound.

"So this was what those prolonged flights were for? You had become attracted to that penguin?" He asked in a surprisingly light-hearted tone that _nobody_ had expected to hear from somebody with the brooding yet grumpy attitude of prosecutor Simon Blackquill.

It was obvious he couldn't stay angry with the hawk sporting the black and white striped bandana.

Taka made a "Kree" sound of confirmation as he leaned in further to Simon's loving scratches.

Athena watched the loving scene with a small awkward smirk. She could _hear_ the near-deafening sound of Simon's happiness of being reunited with his best bosom buzzard and couldn't help but feel so happy that she had helped him. Sure, this wasn't how she expected her day off to go but she was glad that she did end up helping her good friend to find his pet and making his day.

Sasha commented with a quirked brow and a sly smile as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Wow, Athena. You made made that bit of tiger shark bait happier then a clam." The trainer commented.

Athena shrugged but still smiled, "He's my friend. I needed to help him."

The atmosphere was still filled with a salt-scented air and the two birds and three humans stood around, not entirely sure what to do now, and so a long few moments of silence passed on by until it became totally awkward.

Simon was too busy soaking in the love of Taka, Rifle stood where she was as if she was unsure of what to do now that her mate had left her to go and cuddle his human, Athena decided to keep watching Blackquill but also kept silent so another sharp object wouldn't be sent hurtling her way and Sasha just decided to fiddle around with some of the props on the stage so she could proudly herself a bit but she also couldn't help but look over at the little penguin with amusement.

It would seem Rifle would finally have to learn how to share.

All was mostly silent until Rifle marched up towards Simon and squawked angrily at him with a rather angry and vengeful look on her rather adorable face, something that caused the samurai lawman to finally snap out of his blissful reverie and instinctively tightened his hold protectively on his best bird friend (as though if he let go then Taka would float away) and scowled darkly down at the rather rude and bossy penguin female.

He wasn't going to let Rifle have her way with his trusted cohort until he was done with him!

"My apologies, you little Furippā, but you shall have to wait your turn..."

* * *

 **A/N: Here is the last chapter of "Avian adoration" and its just in time for Christmas!**

 **I hope you lot enjoyed it!**

 **I worked hard on this three-shot and made it as fluffy as possible.**

 **Have a nice XMAS everybody!**

 **-Chloemcg**


End file.
